


An Unusual Shade Of Green Eyes

by littleberd



Category: Ratchet & Clank
Genre: M/M, Slavery - Alternate Universe, Soulmate - Alternate Universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2017-02-23
Packaged: 2018-09-24 02:44:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9696215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littleberd/pseuds/littleberd
Summary: Ratchet had landed on Veldin when he was just a baby. Local slavers had found him and used him in many ways, Lombax's were near a myth now. "This one could be the last one" was the general thought of everyone that saw him. But some with an above common level knowledge of Lombax's knew something was different about this one. No Lombax had green eyes like that, red eyes were one of their many identifiable features besides the general cat-likeness. To these few they saw something strange. To others, they saw something exotic, something they wanted. Grimroth Razz saw something no one did, and managed to snag the kid before the maws of ravenous wolves clamped down on him. He didn't care about the kids eyes, he cared about the latent skills in the kids' hands.





	1. Mirage Eyes

Filtch really wished he didn't have to be on perimeter duty. Granted the finds they found in this backwater dessert planet had been pretty good back in the day, but now the best thing you could typically find out here was a few bolts if you had a metal detector and the patience of a saint. Nothing worthwhile had been found in this wasteland in a LOOOOONG time.

So when he spotted two green dots peeking at him over a collection of rocks he had to scrub at his eyes to make sure they were working, "Ah thin' mah peekers bein' dumb 'gain."

But when he looked back the green dots were there but in a different spot, slightly farther away this time. He also noticed the two ear-like protrusions, looking rather soft and fuzzy instead of sandy and granite textured, "Well I'll be..."

Filtch scrambled to get his netgun ready, the dotts moved slightly, getting smaller, and the now-recognizable ears quirked just a bit. Filtch aimed and fired, the green dots got bigger and moved... But it was too late, the net grasped the squirming and hissing creature.

Filtch ran to it on long scrawny legs, he holds the net up to see just what he had caught. Feral green eyes glared back at him, two giant striped and fluffy ears perked as he snarled and clawed at the alien that had caught him.

"I don't believe it! A LOMBAX! A BABY LOMBAX!?!" Filtch crowed, he noticed that amongst the netting was a wrench that looked a bit out of place next to the naked kit he'd caught.

The Lombax's eyes were practically radiating green, Filtch saw this and was instantly leering at the boy, "Those are some pretty in'trestin' peepers yah got there. Thought ah was seein' thin's when I saw 'em. Mirage eyes. Your goin' to sell like hotcakes on a sub-zero planet kid..."

And that was the start of a horrible chapter in Ratchet's young life.


	2. Something Special

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Grim met Ratchet

Grimroth Razz wasn't particularly interested in buying anything when he went to the Veldin International auto show. He had mostly just gone to see what knew ships he might have to deal with, some young big-wig had moved to the big plateau down the path, and from the looks of the expensive flyer he had taken a tour in he had too much money and not enough hobbies, the guy didn't look like he'd ever touched an engine before.

So, being the only garage for leagues meant he was going to be stuck with expensive repairs sooner rather than later. And so what if he could've gotten the same experience from a manual? With no one else in the garage that meant he was doing all of the work, being your own boss had some perks and a 5 days vacation for the first time in over 30 years was long in coming.

A lot of flashy and shiny ships were shown, accessories that were over-the-top and would literally never be used by the mundane populace were prized for their uselessness. This is exactly what caused him to have headaches in the first place. _What ever happened to quality and reliability? These fancy-shmancy flyers will turn into papermache if they hit something as fast as they can go._

What was worse about them was the poor souls shackled to the seats with Raritanium hand cuffs like expensive sex doll bots. Events like these came hand in hand, sex sold, it tended to loosen wallets quicker than the shine of the flyers most of the time. 

Grim just shakes his head, but a glint of green in one causes intrigue. Murmurs ripple through the crowd, one thing Grim hated about these kinds of events was the slave trade linked to these vehicles. But the slave he saw sitting in a huge red jet flyer had him more enraged than anything. 

There was a creature shackled to the interior with sandy fur, too big awkward ears, a shaved tail, and enormous scared intelligent green eyes. The poor thing was a **kid** , and shaking like a leaf. But that soon changed. 

The boy's eyes narrow, he used his tail to mess with the dashboard, much to the announcers dismay, yells for him to stop going unheard. Wires were seen being gnarled and cut. To the crowd, this slave was mangling a brand new ship in reckless abandon. 

To Grim the little brat was actually halfway to **escaping** , he was taking apart the flyer with his flarkin TAIL and making some kind of disrupter... Possibly powerful enough to take the power out of the cuffs! 

Grim shoved others out of the way, hearing none of the roar of want from the crowd, the yells of "IS THAT A LOMBAX?!" "WHAT IN THE NAME OF ZONI IS IT DOING?!?!" "I THOUGHT THOSE WERE EXTINCT!?!", the eyes of people who saw nothing but a new toy to play with and discard. 

Grim could only see the determination and know-how the youth was performing with a single appendage. Guards quickly came out but it was too late. The cuffs were off and the kid had the jet flyer hot-wired before they even made it to the hatch. He was riding into the dessert with the taste of freedom on his tongue. 

The kid zoomed off with a beginner's skill, but he was swiftly adapting to it like a natural. The guards quickly recovered from their failed attempt and got into their own, not as new flyers. Grim couldn't help but grin, the kid was something special alright. Grim ran to his air car, albeit older, rusty, and slower than the new craft, but still managed to stay on the kid's shaved tail. 

After a few minutes of following the dust trail the Lombax had left in his wake, Grim saw the remains of a couple of guard's flyers, a dark chuckle escaped him. "Kid's smart." 

Next thing he saw speeding along were the galactic ranger robots. "And just about as much trouble too." 

When he finally caught up with the runaway Lombax he saw the poor kid getting dragged forcefully into the vehicle by his tail. The flyer he had used was dinged up only a little bit, a new paint job was really all it would need. 

Grim waved them down though before they were about to leave. 

"Officers! I'm here to buy the kid!" Grim yelled. 

"He is not ours to sell." They replied, monotone as a computer. 

"I know that, I was just going to ask that you be gentler with him and let me follow you back at a slower speed. You're taking him back to his seller right?" Grim asked, left elbow leaning out of his window. 

"Yes... We suppose we can go a little bit slower to allow you to keep up." The pilot said, the little guy in the back was warily eyeing him up, the sign of a slave that had had many owners, none of them keeping him for long let alone breaking him... _The grit in this kid is amazing._

Once they made it back to the event, a large purple-headed alien, with a rather pungent smell and resembled an octopus quite a lot, grabbed the kid right out of the police flyer, and slapped, and shook the Lombax around like a stress relieving rag-doll.

"LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE YOU WORTHLESS RODENT! I SHOULD SEND YOU TO THE POLAXAKHER REGION TO BECOME A COMMON WHORE AND MAKE YOU **WORK** OFF THE FLYER YOU'VE RUINED YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE **SQUISHY MAMMALIAN BITCH!** " The alien screeches, high-pitched and feminine sounding despite the fact it was of a hermaphrodite species.

"I'll take him off your hands", Grim speaks up, the Lombax slowly spins, his tail looking kinked and bruised, possibly broken in several different places where it's holding all of his slight weight. The boy had been beaten unconscious. His owner looks pleased but cautious.

"This little bastard destroyed that brand spankin' new jet flyer. He broke it, so you buy _him_ you buy the _flyer_." It sneered, then it cackled in a domineering tone, "But I doubt you would've been able to buy him at regular price anyway. You don't exactly smell like bolts buddy."

"How much."

"Don't even ask old man, from the looks of your run down air car you can't afford squat." It sniped, a tentacle making a shooing motion.

"I didn't ask if I could afford the package deal, how much would he cost without the ship added on?" Grim demanded, grinding his tusks in clear agitation.

"None of your business, you can't buy him. Your too plebeian looking to even fathom the zeros."

Grim's patience was wearing thin but it broke when he saw a dribble of red blood seep from the poor broken kid's mouth.

**_CRUNCH_ **

Grim's favored tusk broke off, clattering to the ground, making a heavy impact in the dirt. The alien was blinking in astonishment for a moment, then beads of what smelt like arsenic dribbled down it's face.

"I'm a _MECHANIC_. I can repair the ship free of charge. So I'm gonna ask you one last time... HOW.MUCH.IS.THE. **KID**!!!"

"23 MILLION BOLTS!!!!!" It squeaked, shaking in fright.

"I've got that much at my shop, I'll tow her to the garage and have it fixed in one weeks time, give me the kid before you beat him up and the rip-off price lowers, I don't take kindly to broken merchandise." Grim growls, yanking the alien's tentacle towards him with enough strength to hear a few vessels pop but holds onto the Lombax with gentle care.

The old owner lets go reluctantly, but it honestly couldn't have heard a better offer. It grumbles as Grim gives it coordinates to the shop and a signed contract stating transferal of property.

Grim carefully places the kid in the air car, making sure to keep his head elevated. A bittersweet grin inches onto his face.

"You're gonna wake up with one mother of a headache punk."

Grim only saw potential in the grunt of pain the kid released.

"You're a fighter kid I'll give you that, you better be worth my life savings. I was skimming at the bottom of the barrel there, I have just over a million bolts left you twerp."


	3. Another Chase, A New Beginning, A True Name

The Lombax awoke to a ceiling so covered by dirt dust overtime it resembled rust. He was on a bed, _where am I now?_. His tail ached something fierce, drowning out the painful stinging that was coming from his face, more specifically, his mouth.

The Lombax raised a hand to his head, attempting to sit up in the bed but his tail made him cringe, bringing fresh tears to his eyes. It did not go unnoticed that his tail had red spattered white bandages wrapped around it. His tongue scrapped over air in his mouth where a tooth should have been.

A quick scan of his surroundings proved fruitless, there was a table stacked high with tools and different metals, but no windows, and a single shoddy door.

_Have I been taken to the slaughter house?_

The sound of heavy footsteps had him laying back down and feigning sleep, ears forced back in faux unawares. Eyes squinted, not revealing a sliver of green, but watching all the same.

A purple skinned fungoid walks in, tribal tattoos of manhood swirl along his skin, a tusk is broken, but his eyes are old and green too. He walks over to the table and grabs a ratchet, he stops at the foot of the bed though.

"Hurry up and get out of the land of nod kid, I've got a lot to show you when you do. I think this place will be good for you." He said softly.

The Lombax sprung up, grabbed the ratchet and swung.

"Yeah right!"

The Fungoid barely avoided the tool turned weapon, the wind's sharp whistle hurting his ears. But before he could make a grab for the injured Lombax the kid was out the door and dashing towards a vehicle... _A rocket sled of all things. Why is that even here?_

"This kid is going to be the death of me." Grim breathed out, running for his air car.

Once he caught up with the Lombax he leaned out of the air car window and yelled, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU PUNK!? STEALING FROM THAT FLARK BE-DAMNED VISRAT IS ONE THING BUT STEALING FROM ME ISN'T A JOKE KID!"

The Lombax ignored him, eyes on the orange dirt path in front of him, ears only slightly perked and listening. A sign that read danger in bright yellow and several standard languages shone around a bend.

"KID! YOU NEED TO STOP! DIDN'T YOU SEE THE SIGN!?!" 

"I DID! IT SAID TO SPEED UP!" The Lombax yelled back, venom heavy in the atmosphere, he floored the gas pedal, "EAT MY DUST YOU OLD FART!"

A rattling sound startles the little guy though, a piece of metal flies out of the bottom, hitting Grim's vector shield, a large web from middle to outward of cracks mars it. The rocket sled is going far faster than it's suppose to.

"DID YOU TAMPER WITH THE ROCKET SLED YOU LITTLE PUNK!?! THEY'RE NOT MADE TO HANDLE THAT SPEED KID!" Grim yells, the Lombax's eyes are wide and frightened.

"I DIDN'T MESS WITH THIS RUST BUCKET! I'M NOT EVEN TOUCHING THE GO LEVER!" The Lombax screamed back, Grim had a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"IT'S CALLED THE GAS PEDAL! PRESS THE BRAKES TO SLOW IT DOWN! IT'S THE PEDAL RIGHT NEXT TO THE GAS PEDAL!" Grim yells back.

"WHAT DID YA SAY!?! WHAT'S A GAS PEDAL!?!" The Lombax yelled back, frantically pulling and pressing different buttons in a panic.

"PRESS THE BRAKES KID! THE BRAKES!" Grim yells, one hand cupped for emphasis.

"BRAKES?!? BREAK!? I DIDN'T BREAK ANYTHING! THIS HUNK OF JUNK WAS ALREADY LIKE THIS!!!" the Lombax yells over the roaring of the engine.

"STOP PRESSING EVERYTHING! THE-THE GO LEVER! PRESS THE LEVER NEXT TO THE GO LEVER!" Grim yelled, but his voice was soon drowned out by the sudden sirens that just appeared. He wasn't sure the Lombax heard him.

"PULL THE VEHICLE OVER! CEASE AND DESIST!" The Robot Ranger megaphones, they're the same two from the lombax's earlier chase.

Grim was fed up at this point, he swerves to get closer to the ranger flyer, "HE DOESN'T KNOW HOW! I'M TRYING TO TELL HIM BUT HE CAN'T HEAR ME OVER THE SIRENS!"

"WHAT WAS THAT YOU SAID CITIZEN? HE DOZEN SNOW COW? YOU'RE TRYING TO KILL HIM BUT HE RANT DEAR YOU OVER THE HIGHLANDS?! I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU WISH TO KILL HIM, WHETHER IT'S BECAUSE OF THE SNOW COWS OR THE DEAR RANT OVER THE HIGHLANDS BUT KILLING IS ILLEGAL AS IS ANY ATTEMPT TO! BOTH OF YOU PULL OVER!" The robot ranger megaphones right in Grim's ear.

Grim growls and comes close to face pawing but doesn't, instead he speeds up next to the runaway Lombax.

"CAN YOU HEAR ME KID!?!"

"KIND OF!! THE RANGER FLYER IS A LITTLE TOO LOUD!" he yells back.

"GOOD ENOUGH! PUSH THE LEVER NEXT TO THE GO LEVER!" Grim yells, leaning out as far as he can from the window.

"PUSH THE WHAT!?!" The Lombax yelled.

"PUSH THE LEVER NEXT TO THE GO LEVER!" the purple Fungoid repeated.

The young Lombax nods, following Grim's instruction... But...

It doesn't stop.

"WHY ISN'T IT WORKING!?!" the Lombax screeched, stamping down on the pedal repeatedly only to end up with the same results.

_"Hey dude! My little brother's doo-dad is broken, think you can fix it?" A blue faced kid asks, he was one of the dessert kids that lived underground with his three parents, nice people, a touch blind but nice people._

_"What seems to be the problem with it? I saw you drive it over here fine." Grim asks, arm resting on an air car's hood._

_"oh ho ho, there's nothing wrong with GOING it's the STOPPING that we're having trouble with. My little brother broke his leg the other day because it wouldn't stop." The boy says, face cringing at the memory._

Much like Grim's own right now, "Uh oh."

"HEY KID! I KNOW WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE ROCKET SLED!" Grim yells, guilt tinging his voice just a bit but honestly it was the kids fault in the first place, you don't steal a vehicle from an open garage, especially as a get away car.

"AND YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO FIX IT NOW BEFORE WE GET TOO CLOSE!" Grim yells. The Lombax looks unbelieving at this.

"YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS! I HAVE TO STEER OR I'LL CRASH!" the kid screams, the rangers never stop yelling but at this point they've got a bit of a picture being painted in their circuitry.

"CITIZENS! ARE YOU HAVING VEHICLE TROUBLE!?!" The ranger megaphones, Grim screams back the obvious answer.

"WE HAVE A HIGH POWERED EMP WE CAN USE TO STOP YOUR VEHICLES IF YOU REQUIRE ASSISTANCE!" It replies.

Grim thanks the stars, a bit of luck finally coming his way today, he shakes his head yes with enough force that his ears nearly smack his face "YES!!! EMP!!! USE THE EMP!"

Without a word the robot rangers send it out, Grim's air car slows down, but the kid's ride keeps going, and finally stops.

" **HELP**!" the Lombax shrieks, his stopping point was teetering on the edge of a cliff that a certain yellow sign had warned them about earlier.

Grim is moving as fast as his thick legs will pump, grabbing the Lombax's hands right as the rocket sled goes a little too forward. Ironically enough it falls onto a ledge not even a foot down that had been obscured from view by the vehicle itself.

The Lombax was sobbing into Grim's chest, his shirt soaked through, the kid's sharp shoulders quivering. Grim holds him close and rubs his back in comfort.

"Don't worry kid, you're alright, you're safe, everything's OK punk, you didn't even get a scratch thank the Technomites." Grim murmurs, the lombax's ears are down and his tail is curled around them both tightly, Grim feels the ooze of red liquid from the now loose bandages. _Ok scratch that last bit._

However, when the robots approach the lombax's tears are gone, he came at them with the ratchet he had taken from Grim to begin with, his ribs heaving and fur slick with sweat, adrenaline still pumping through his veins and making his steps fast and fluid, "YOUR NOT TAKING ME AWAY AGAIN!!! NO NO NO!!!!!"

But once Grim got a hold of him the kid went limp, putty like and breathing heavily, exhaustion kicking in, "I'm sorry... plea-please don't se-sell me. I promise I wo-won't do it again... *sob* I-I'm sor-ry."

Grim holds the robot rangers off with a hand, rubbing soothing circles into the little one's back, "Kid, I'm not gonna sell you, you woke up in a strange place after getting the snot beat out of you by that old owner of yours. ANYONE would have made a break for it, it's ok, it's alright pal, I understand. But next time you want to take something for a joy ride make sure the brakes work first and foremost, actually don't take a joy ride EVER AGAIN."

The lombax stilled, looking up at Grim with big glistening green eyes, "Yo-your not *sniff* you-your not going to se-sell me? Wha-what are you-you going to do wi-with me? Ar-are you goin*sniff* going to punish me?" the terror and uncertainty in the little guy's voice make's the fungoid's three hearts break in sync.

"I'm not going to sell you punk, I've always hated the slave trade. No, I'm going to raise you, maybe you'll see that as a punishment in the future but for now the only thing you're going to do is apologize to the rangers over there for attacking them, then you're going to help me fix the rocket sled you crashed over there, and lastly you're going to apologize to the kid who owns that rocket sled for using it without permission in the firsts place." Grim reassures, hugging the little lombax close, sniffles and sobs smothered into his shirt once more.

"Bu-but *sniff* I STOLE something... *sob* tha-that's against the la-law!" He whimpers, "Tho-those robots are gon-gonna take *sniffle* take me away again!"

Grim raises an eyebrow at the two robot ranger's with a challenging glare, they hide whatever weapons are on them and quickly shake their heads no, "You were in an emotional state, technically you are not at fault. The fungoid owns you; therefore, he is the one who would receive punishment..."

"Wha-What?!? Bu-but you can't!!! You*sob* you can't ta-take him away! Th-that's not*sniffle* fair! I did it, not hi *sob*him!" The lombax sobs, _Now the kid's defending me? Isn't he just a little roller coaster of emotions._

Grim grinds his intact tusk in a menacing manner, the one who hadn't said anything throughout the entire chase quickly elbows his partner in the sister board, "However, with how much drama went on yesterday we are prepared to let you off with an undocumented warning."

"It's okay. I'm not being taken away, come on kid... let's go home." Grim pacifies, he get's up but stops, "Hold on a darn minute though, I can't keep calling you kid, what's your name?"

The lombax looks down, mumbling whatever his answer is, hands tightening around the ratchet.

"Gonna have to speak louder than that, I think tin man over there busted my ear drum." Grim complains, earning a sheepish robot ranger's soft sorry.

"I don't-don't *huff* have a name, every-everyone called mm-me-mee what they *sniffle*wanted..." the teared stained face was twisting Grim's gut in the most unpleasant-est of ways.

"Well that just means you get to name yourself, count yourself lucky, my name's Grimroth Razz, you can call me Grim though. Not what I would've gone with but I've lived with it this long so it's grown on me. Let's see, what do you like? Maybe rocket? Yah know, after this whole incident with the..." The scarred face of the lombax nearly had him cackling, but he persevered, "What about flyer? Nah, that was a disaster too after that fiasco..."

The lombax simply holds the over sized socket wrench closer the more disappointing the list of possible names gets, Grim notices the minuscule movements and it dawns on him.

"You sure like that ratchet don't you buddy?" Grim points at it, the lombax blinks.

"Tha-that's what it's ca-called?" the kid asks, looking down at it, "I-I remember hav-*sniffle*having something like this... I was, I was found wi-with a tool... but they took it aw-away."

"Well then, that's something you remember right? Probably the first thing you remember. Something that was good. How about Ratchet? For your name? Would you answer to that?" Grim asks quietly, giant paw on the boy's shoulder.

"Ye-yeah, I-I I like the ratchet, so-so Ratchet is my name now?" Ratchet asks, eyes huge and maybe... just a smidgen hopeful.

Grim smiles warmly down at Ratchet, "Yep, so let's go home Ratchet."

Tears prickled Ratchet's eyes, but for the first time, they were from happiness.

"But one last thing." Grim stands up, "Hey metal heads! I want to take a picture of Ratchet the day he got a name of his own! You guys want to stand in it?"

They obliged, even towed the rocket sled off of the ledge and had it in the picture... well away from the edge of the cliff mind. The little lombax posed with a missing tooth grin that shone just how happy he was.


	4. Captain Qwark's Corruption

When all was said and done, Ratchet actually got to keep the rocket sled, the one boy's parents didn't want to even SEE the vehicle again, which was hard enough with them being molariers.

Ratchet soaked up everything mechanic wise Grim taught him like a sponge. Languages were the bane of his existence though. He couldn't speak anything but standard Solana; although, he could understand what was being said to him... Mostly. It was written words he really struggled the with.

"Why do I have to learn these stupid words anyway Grim? All the parts we order are in standard Solana." Ratchet complained, banging his head against a holovid education pad.

"Well what if you want to go outside the Solana galaxy huh? Don't forget not every planet in Solana speaks standard, there's strands and dialects that might write it differently, and I don't want you stranded because you can't communicate with someone else. Or better yet, fall off a cliff because you couldn't read a sign." Grim poked, Ratchet bites his lip in aggravation, but he reluctantly studies on.

The solution to this verbal problem came as a surprise to him, a certain hero that ratchet was fanboying over constantly was coming out with a new movie to commemorate his great deeds, apparently 15 hours long... But it would never be in standard Solana according to the director.

"We want to expand his viewing audience, those who don't know standard Solana are proven never to watch anything on the news so they haven't even HEARD of Captain Qwark who's saved the very galaxy they're living in. So, as it is our duty to those who do not speak or understand standard Solana, this movie will never be in standard Solana."

Ratchet was going crazy over the new movie, it was cut into 5 different chapters, each in a different language. 

After Grim bought a copy Ratchet watched it til he could recite it by heart. With the added help of the movie he gradually began to understand the languages.

But he still couldn't read the words for flark. Grim shrugged it off though, compared to the sudden awe of hero worship Ratchet was struck with it was manageable.

But memorabilia and merchandise of the hero started suddenly appearing in the Lombax's room without making a dent in his measly allowance, Grim wasn't stupid.

So when he heard the little sneak tiptoeing out of the garage at blarg in the morning Grim had had enough. He followed his charge and was surprised when he went into the scrap shed. Honestly Grim only remembered it was there when he would toss old scrap metal in there or was in need of some, which was rare since he mostly BOUGHT the parts.

Peeking in through a grimy window that was barely see-through, he saw something that both astounded and worried him. Ratchet was bending and cutting and clipping metal, making it smaller and smaller and shaping it into-

"Well I'll be damned. He's making counterfeit bolts!" Grim mumbled, he shook his head and walked into the shed.

Ratchet jumped, but turned to look at his guardian, "uhm... What's wrong Grim?"

"Kid, you're going to stop this right now. That's HIGHLY ILLEGAL!" Grim says, taking the tools the kid had filtched from the garage. _I was wondering where that screwdriver was._

"No it's not. Saurel said it was making money." Ratchet denied, lip pouting and eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

Grim feels his life will be shortened considerably by this kid.


	5. Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ***Spoilers*** for (future series) games, beware

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, is anyone reading this besides UnknownDrew and Chelsey? I kind of like comments, don't even care if you don't kudos but I could use a good feedback comment or even a general comment...

"SKIDD MACMARXX IS SO AWESOME! Doing flips like _fwoop_ and going like _zhooom_ on the track! I want to be like him!" Ratchet proclaims, jumping up and down in excitement, practically having springs attached to his feet.

"Those boards cost a lot of bolts, and since your illegal money making days are over your allowance isn't quite enough. Maybe when your birthday comes around I'll buy you-" And it hits him like a ton of bricks. _The kid was a slave, of course he doesn't have one_ ," ~sigh~ you don't have one do you?" 

Ratchet quirks an eyebrow in a confused manner that typically means all he heard coming out of Grim's mouth was markazian.

"A birthday is the one day, once a year, that you celebrate the birth of a person, it's the day they were born. But since you don't have any biological parents that we know of that kept track of it, I'm going to spoil you and say today is your birthday... Let's go get that board you wanted." Grim huffed, trying and failing miserably to keep up his gruff act.

Especially when he got a surprise armful of Lombax that was joy-crying (as he's dubbed the reoccurring phenomenon). Who could resist returning a hug to the little Lombax Grim didn't know.

************

At the exact center of the universe (give or take 50 feet), a small egg rattled inside an empty metallic cog hive shaped nook. It cracked open and out came a tiny baby Zoni, big eyes green and incandescent, not at all the normal shade of blue.

It fluttered about, babbling and clumsily getting the hang of mobility. It managed to open a door and buzzed out into an open cooridor. It's curiosity and inquisitive nature becoming apparent, opening all the doors until the last one revealed a bright cerlean blue portal. It oohed and touched the photon particles, giggling when it tickled it's hand.

A robot came in through a different entrance, mumbling and humming to himself, tapping away at the device he had in his hands. When it looked up it's ocular implants were far bigger than they should be.

It spastically wheeled itself towards the baby Zoni as fast as the 4" diameter tires could spin... But too late.

With a startled happy giggle the baby Zoni disappeared into the portal, the power going with it.

"Orvus is going to have my motherboard for this."

***********

Walking by the stores Grim internally cringed at the ever rising prices from window to window. Of course the store Ratchet wanted to go into had the most rip-off prices, he was practically being robbed, not to mention he had to wade through the thick gathering of children running rampant in the store. It was surprising there was anything left on the shelves with all the sticky fingers being waved around.

When Ratchet pointed out the board he wanted Grim let go of his hand to grab it.

BIGGEST FLARKIN MISTAKE OF HIS **LIFE**

When he went to hold Ratchet's hand there was no Lombax limb to grab. The crowd had snatched him up and devoured him whole.

Grim looks around frantically trying to find his charge, barely managing not to trample any children running about his feet in his search. Grim took a deep breath in...

" **RAAAAAAAATCHEEEEEEEEEET!!!!!** "

All the children stilled, some getting teary-eted and it was all down hill from there, now he had a sea of wailing offspring. He was soon shown out of the store by a employee that would NEVER be paid enough for his job.

*************

Ratchet had turned his head to look around, something familiar caught his eye, green eyes the same shade as his own.

Ratchet couldn't tell where they had gone but he knew their owner wasn't in the store, so he got down and started crawling through the masses, tightly curling his tail around his waist to protect it from stomping feet.

Once he succeeded getting out of the throng of peers he squinted at the crowd around him, searching for that gre-

Ratchet was after it in an instant, dashing into the crowd of much easier to navigate adults, not hearing his guardian calling his name.

Ratchet raced around corners, forgetting the sky was growing darker as was the streets he was walking. A sudden clank from a pitch black alleyway gave Ratchet pause. His whereabouts finally catching up with him, caution creeped into his body, a familiar feeling of danger rising up from his stomach and gripping his heart.

A startled shriek left his mouth as he toppled painfully to the ground on his tail when two bulbous glowing green eyes appeared in the darkness. Ratchet curled into a small ball and shook in terror.

A cuu of intrigue and small gentle hands scratched Ratchet's head. Ratchet squinted one eye open, the creature was small, it's head far bigger than it's body and metallic. It babbled and started playing with Ratchet's ears.

"You're a baby, what are you doing out here all alone?" Ratchet asks, terror forgotten, gently taking the baby Zoni's hands and spinning the giggly baby around to face him.

The baby's giggles stopped, the two small hands coming to stroke the Lombax's cheeks. Then it rests it's forehead against Ratchet's, a soft cuu, and then he's getting noogied by that same forehead.

Ratchet's hair gets matted up but the baby is still cuuing softly. The Lombax slowly pulls the velcro-like Zoni off of him, but all attempts end the same, the baby ends up stuck on him somewhere like it's been magnetized and he's the magnet.

As his last ditch effort send the baby twirling head over feet in soft arcs in the air, a batch of giggles has Ratchet giggling too, "You really like me huh?"

A raspy gurgle is all he gets as a reply.

"You don't know how to talk yet, but my name's Ratchet." Ratchet says, looking up at the Zoni child from it's new perch on top of his head.

"Rah-rah..." It replies, patting each of the lombax's ears, they flick back and the Zoni baby squeals in delight.

"Well you're smart enough to get that much." Ratchet sighs, standing up with surprising ease, the slight weight of the Zoni baby feeling like it belonged.

"Let's try and find your parents... And hey, if you don't have any I'm sure Grim won't mind keeping you! I've... Always wanted a sibling..." Ratchet murmurs, his Zoni companion starts chewing on his ear, small amounts of saliva ooze but the baby's chewing doesn't hurt a bit, it's gums barely even touching his flesh.

"Eeew," Ratchet protests but their giggling carries into the night, worry digs it's sharp talons into his gut, "If we can even find Grim... Well, no need to hide it... We're both lost but I'm sure we'll find your parents-Grim... THEM... Maybe just him? Ugh whatever, he's looking for us and somebody's probably looking for you... So we just gotta find a connecting point I guess. Any ideas?"

A bit of drool escapes the slope of his ear and droops onto his nose, Ratchet wipes at it, "I'll take that as a nope. Let's move you to somewhere THAT doesn't happen again, I kind of like my ears not being chewed and soggy." Ratchet shifts the Zoni baby to his back, a giggle and small arms hug around his neck, not quite encircling but providing an almost protective warmth.

They leave the alleyway and step into the light, a dark figure follows them at a distance, a cruel grin curling on it's face.


	6. Birds and Bees and Sewer Rats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chameo of Lennie and George from of Mice and Men or something close to that lol
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy and Robyne...  
> If you kill me there won't be anymore updates...X'D

After a few turns that seemed brighter but ended up darker Ratchet had pretty much given up.

"I guess it's time we ask someone for directions..." Ratchet whispers, the baby Zoni snoring softly on his back, cuddling closer to the Lombax's scruff, which is very poofy as his hackles have been raised for a good few minutes.

A tight smile taking up residence on his face, his ears twitch at the near-silent footsteps that have been following them for a while, "We're gonna get you home."

"Psst! Hey kid!" 

Ratchet whirls around, eyes delving into the darkest shadows for someone. A shady alien withdraws from the corner right behind a light post.

"You said you were lost right?"

"Nope, I'm going to Auntie Veera down the street. She's a Solana Galaxy **Shooting range** champ, 5th place two years in a row! She's going to teach me how to handle one tonight. I don't know _where_ or _What_ we'll be shooting but I'm _sure_ she wouldn't mind you coming with us." Ratchet says cheerfully and loud, lying through his teeth but hoping he pumped it with enough child-like enthusiasm for this new creep to not call his bluff.

He stands there for a second before falling to the ground and cackling like a loon. Once he's finally regained his breath he gets up and tips his hat back.

"Nice kid, I was wonderin' why your ears were twitchin' like that with my steps. I figured that you were smarter'n some tourists, though I've gotta say I'vn't seen yah round these parts." The stranger explains, "Though if yer worried about me nabbin' yah you can shuck that 'dea out the airlock. Ahm needin' some help gettin' a _friend_ out of a place I can't 'xactly fit bein' big and all. But if yah can get 'em out then I'll try and find where yer going fer yah. Deal?"

Ratchet feels the truth in the strangers words but he's still suspicious. _It's illegal, he probably grew up in a penitentiary, and if Grim catches me I'm not gonna be grounded for the rest of my life, but what are the chances that he'll see me? Why is this guy asking ME... he used singular pronouns for me... does he think the little guy is with me, or some strange pet... Or backpack? Who knows, I can at least hear him out._

"First, who's your friend, second, where is this _friend_ , and third, why can't you get to them?" Ratchet lists off on his fingers, staring right into the potential dealer's eyes.

"A little too smart, I like yah kid so I'll tell you. Yah see I've got a parrot that was... er ransomed and I failed to pay. The un-respectable bastard that has him, pardon my blarg, has a thin' fer eatin' avian lifeforms. I don't 'xactly want 'im to be flambe and e's saved mah blue hide too many times to just let 'im rot in that creep's stomach, but the only way to 'em is through a water drain that ahm bit too vertically gifted to traverse without breaking a few bones."

Ratchet grimaces, water drains always gave him a cramp in the neck to get through but if it wasn't too much trouble getting a little _bird_ out that meant the guy _MAY_ respect the trade and actually get him back to Grim. Is it worth the risk was a stupid question.

_I'm not gonna lose Grim because I ran off without thinking, thinking it was another lombax... And this little guy is depending on me._

"Alright. I'll do it." Ratchet accepts, shaking the now outstretched hand of the stranger. He still didn't trust that grin.

************

"I wish I hadn't agreed to this... That lying liar, since when does a rain drain smell this bad?" Ratchet grouses, keeping his hands far away from the slimy walls as possible with a disgusted shudder.

They come to a barred exit, and just as he said there was a parrot in a cage just beyond it in a dusty box filled storeroom.

"Alright... Time for step two." Ratchet whispers, the baby Zoni still slumbering softly on his back. Ratchet gets out a low powered hand laser the parrot's true owner had given to him.

Once the grate was gone the Lombax slinked into the dimly lit room, wary and investigating every dusty crevice of the place before even going near the cage.

_No trap so far, and nobody's in here._

Ratchet slinks a foot out into the open circle of light haloing the cage. The parrot turns with mechanical precision, it's one eye is glowing ruby red and half of it's face is full of cogs. _It's a flarrkin cyborg._

A loud alarm like claxon came from it's mouth in repeated intervals. _Correction, It's a flarrking decoy cyborg ALARM._

The Lombax slithers back into the shadows, and knew he didn't have enough time to get back to the drain. He slowly and carefully opened a box, attempting not to disturb the layer of dust on it's lid. Just as he heard footsteps he looked at the contents and thanked his stars that it was empty, swiftly getting inside and closed the lid.

Shuffling and grumbling, a stuttering foot. The noises were making his ears twitch relentlessly in trying to follow them, one disturbed the sleeping Zoni on his back, it sniffled. _Oh shit! Please don't-_

" **ACHOO!** "

Ratchet held the baby Zoni close, ears straining to pick up any change in the footsteps gait amongst the noise that flarrkin bird was spewing. He wiped the baby's nose with his sleeve, a fate worse than Zoni snot was awaiting them outside this box if they weren't quiet.

Strangely nothing was amiss, it could hear them about as good as they could it... _So that stupid bird IS good for something other than blowing our cover._

The sudden feel of musty air tickled the hairs on his head, was all the warning he got before he was hefted up by his scruff. His bodily reaction was purely animalistic, falling limp and closing his eyes.

"Look't what we caught boss! Itza sewer rat!" One muscle head proclaimed.

A twiggish twin of the alien holding Ratchet up gave a sneer, "That's not a Sewer rat Dingus. I don't even know what that is, put it back where you found it before it's carcass stinks up the joint, stop playin' 'round and find where that 'truder is 'fore he goes lookin' in the room upstairs."

"Rude! Tha' thief cou' be a girl boss. A pre'y one if we're lucky. And what's in the room upstairs again?" The obvious all brawn no brains of the duo asked, setting Ratchet back in the box with the gentleness Ratchet wouldn't associate with someone so big... He painfully reminded Ratchet of Grim in his paralyzed state. The gentle giant fumbled with the lid to close it.

His puny friend groans in anger, "What we're bein' paid for Lennie. Protect tha' pretty bird, tha' thing in the cage was a honey pot. We'r e tryin' to catch thievin' bees and not the insect kind neither."

"But why'd I hav'ta put the rat back? I woulda washed it and it wouldn't smell bad no more. Then I could pets it when I look fer the bee." Lennie stutters, blue eyes getting watery.

His friend sighs, giving in to his big boned friend, "How 'bout this Lennie, with how much money we get I can buy you a pup 'stead? That way it won't go bad and stink up the place. Will that keep yah from cryin'?"

Lennie scoops his pal up like he weighs a feather, " THANK YOU GEORGE! A PUPPY GEORGE! A PUPPY! I'LL FIND 'EM BEES GEORGE I'MMA FIND 'EM AND THEN WE'LL GET A PUPPY! YOU'S PROMISED! NO TAKE'EM BACKS! PROMISE GEORGE!?!"

George squeals indignantly in his new position, "PUT ME DOWN YAH BIG BAFOON! OR I'MMA CUFF YAH BEHIND THE EARS SO FAST YER HEAD SPINS!"

Lennie wisely does what his small fuming friend wants, George stands on his own three feet on solid ground, steaming but cooling down pretty quickly.

"I'm not yer Auntie, Lennie, when I promise yah somethin' I don't take'em backs's anythin'. Yah got me? Let's search the nex' room."

The small contrite alien and his oversized lab-dog muscle leave the Lombax and the false target with a firm slam of the door.

_That was... Interesting._


End file.
